An animal shelter in Allentown, Pennsylvania was inundated with beagles on Sunday after 71 dogs were removed from a rural home where they were reportedly living in deplorable conditions.
The Lehigh County Humane Society is caring for the beagles, many of whom were in poor health and underweight, the Allentown Morning Call reported. The dogs won’t be put up for adoption until after they’ve all been assessed.
Mary Shafer, the humane society’s executive director, said the dogs initially belonged to the homeowner’s female companion, per The Associated Press. The woman, who died in September, had been breeding, kenneling and selling beagles without a license. She had also been acting as a beagle rescue.
Barbara Morgan, the humane society police officer for Lehigh and Northampton counties, said she expects to file charges against the owner of the home where the animals were found.
“It had gotten out of hand for sure. He didn’t even know how many dogs he had,” Morgan told the Morning Call. She did not identify the homeowner.
Information about the beagles’ availability for adoption will be posted online in the coming days. On its Facebook page, the shelter requested donations of wet food, towels, sheets and leashes.
“It is beagle-mania here right now,” Morgan said.
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